


Until Further Notice

by Assume That I Will Never Finish These (Caty_314)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Also my MCU knowledge is lacking... apologies..., Don’t worry... I’ll clean all these up one day..., Heads up: The summary is written from Harry’s POV but thus far the story is written from Steve’s POV, I accept tagging suggestions too!, I don’t know if I’ll ever add the next chapter but I hope to, I have a plan but I also have a very poor history when it comes to WIPs so this might go nowhere, I should be writing other things, I’m sure all these hits are just me..., Kinda MOD!Harry? Kinda..?, M/M, No teddies were hurt in the writing of this fic., No title yet. I’m bad at titles. Send me suggestions!, Note to self: do not tag when tired..., Please! Don’t hold your breath!, Yes... these tags ARE meant to scare you away..., don’t hold your breath, eventually explicit, or sleeping... I should do that too, this is purely self-indulgence on my part, unreliable author
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-22
Updated: 2018-07-22
Packaged: 2019-06-14 14:33:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15390852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caty_314/pseuds/Assume%20That%20I%20Will%20Never%20Finish%20These
Summary: Life sucks and then you die, except nothing was ever that straightforward for Harry. He was involuntarily brilliant at the first, but the second just never seemed to stick, to his discontent...After being a reluctant guest in the Department of Mysteries, Harry escapes through the veil. He hopes for the rest he so richly deserves, to be united with his family and the friends he loved and lost, but, instead, the next great adventure is nothing like what he expects.He finds himself in a world of aliens and superheroes, a world where technology rules and magic as he knows it never existed before him, a world where there's more to gender than male and female, a world where he's expected to marry and play good little housewife like Aunt Petunia.Well, sod that!





	Until Further Notice

Steve Rogers understood why this was necessary, but he still didn't like it, and he hoped that this time would prove just as successful as every other attempt to match him with an omega had been - that is to say, not at all. Of course, he understood the necessity of it - mated alphas were statistically more balanced than their unmated brethren, less prone to bouts of aggression and the need to assert their dominance over others around them. Also, as soldiers, alphas who were mated were found to have a higher success rate in missions and to be more likely to succeed and survive to return home to their omega mate. And finally, as an alpha suped up on experimental serum, his superiors, handlers and healthcare professionals -  _ not to mention the scientists _ \- were very concerned that he be matched with an omega as soon as possible, not only for his own sake but also for the sake and safety of others. Steve understood all this, but he still didn't like it.

The only consolation he had was that matching practices had changed significantly during his time in the ice. 

In the past, had he returned from that fateful mission, the likelihood was that a suitable omega would have been chosen for him, regardless of compatibility, and they would have simply been locked in a room together until they had successfully bonded. Now, compatibility was treated as a huge deal when matching omegas with alphas. In the decades he missed, research found that incompatible matches often caused more harm than good. An unhappy omega meant a stressed and volatile alpha which lead to a significantly higher chance of said alphas lashing out at their omega or whomever happens to be standing closest which results in an unacceptable level of injuries and fatalities. This lead to the implementation of omega-led matching facilities, such as the one Steve was currently waiting impatiently in. In these facilities, omegas were introduced to potential matches slowly and all interactions, both those with the alpha present and those where the alpha was absent, were monitored and scrutinised closely to determine the best possible match for the participants. 

Steve shuffled uncomfortably in his seat, re-adjusting the teddy bear he was awkwardly cuddling under one arm as he did so. Stage one in the matching process was the teddy bears. Alphas had to hold a sterilised bear for a given amount of time to imbue the soft toy with their scent. Those toys were then displayed before the resident omegas who would be drawn to or repulsed by the scent. The omegas would choose their ‘ _ favourites _ ’, and the alphas whose scent imbued teddies were chosen would progress to stage two with the potentially matching omegas.

Stage two was why Steve was back again today and, presumably, why he was imbuing a new soft toy with his scent. He was already in the second stage of courtship with two other potential matches and he had been invited in to meet a third. Much as he tried to be, he was not entirely pleased with this prospect. He had to admit, Sandra and Nadine were lovely girls, but so were Charlotte and Andrea and Primrose and Laura and the other omegas he'd met but couldn't remember the names of anymore. He had only entered the third stage with Charlotte, and then only because he'd been on the receiving end of reminders in the form of lectures and educational videos regarding the importance of bonding with an omega. Luckily, at least in his opinion, another alpha was matched and bonded to her before he had to see her, but it did make for a few uncomfortable days for him afterward. He was determined not to enter stage three against his better judgment again, but, for now, he would give them the benefit of the doubt.

The door creaked faintly as it was eased open and Steve snapped his attention to the bushy-haired beta who had led him to this sitting room. “Erm, excuse me? Mister- I mean, Captain Ameri- err...  _ Rogers _ , sir?” she squeaked nervously. 

Resisting the urge to sigh, the super-soldier carefully plucked the teddy bear from under his arm, returned it to the ziplock bag it had arrived in, resealed it, and placed it back on the small table by his chair. Sometimes he wished he could return to the anonymity he'd known before becoming Captain America, or even just back before they'd saved New York from Loki and his Chitauri army and he and the other Avengers had become household names. He'd already noticed how his fame affected his relations with the later omegas he'd met compared to those who hadn't known to associate him with the American hero who had tragically disappeared while saving the world.

She spoke again as he stood and strolled across the room towards her. “I'm sorry you had to wait for so long, but we’re ready for you now.  _ Finally _ .” The last word had been murmured under her breath, and it was only because his hearing had been so significantly improved that he caught both the word and the sheer irritation it was spoken with. It made Steve curious to know what had caused the delay that had frustrated her so. “If you'd follow me please?” she finished with another squeak before practically fleeing the room.

“May I ask the cause the the delay?” he queried amicably as he quickly caught up with her and walked at her side down the hall.

His guide pursed her lips and appeared to be thinking very fast and deeply, but her eyes didn't waver from her path as she walked. “I'm not allowed to say anything that might prejudice your meeting,” she eventually answered, her words sounding very carefully chosen.

Steve raised an eyebrow at her response, but decided not to enquire further. Her non-answer was an answer in and of itself, and it made him both curious and wary to meet the omega who had obviously elicited such a response. 

“Here we are,” the young beta said awkwardly as she opened the door before them. “Erm…  _ Good luck! _ ”

Steve frowned slightly at the well-wish. It was not uncommon to be wished luck before meeting a new omega, at least in his experience, but the slightly hysterical edge to her voice suggested something different from normal. He wanted to believe that all her allusions were due to her own quirky nature, but couldn't shake the conviction that it was the omega who prompted the unusual irritation. 

He hesitated before entering. He knew what to expect beyond the door. 

Alphas and omegas would meet one another while sitting on opposite sides of a glass partition. Microphones and speakers allowed communication between the two, but the air supply for each part of the room was independent of the other to prevent any further scenting than what had been pre-arranged so the two could talk and assess their potential compatibility without one another's pheromones complicating the issue. In this stage, both the alpha and omega can make the informed decision as to whether or not they would like to proceed to stage three with the other.

The third and final stage, and often the most unpleasant for everyone concerned, was when the omega inevitably went into heat. Any alphas who were courting the omega at the second stage would be isolated and then exposed to the omega’s scent to trigger their rut. Once their rut was established they would be taken to an antechamber where their pheromones would likewise be cycled back to the omega. If both parties react favourably, the alpha is allowed to enter the room, though they would still be separated by a glass partition. Depending on whether the omega accepts them, the alpha would either be granted access into the room proper, or they would be sedated and the antechamber and sectioned off part of the room would be decontaminated of the alpha’s scent and the next potential match would begin the process.

It was an decidedly unpleasant process.

Steve steeled himself, then pushed through the door, trying to convince himself that he was eager and not resigned to be meeting with another potential match - he wasn’t successful - and trying not to expect another stereotypical omega who was demure and soft spoken and lacked the edge and confidence he had once been drawn to in Peggy. 

She…  _ He _ … wasn’t what he expected.

The omega turned to face him at the sound of the door, arms crossed and a defensive scowl upon his face. Male omegas were rare,  _ incredibly  _ rare, more a fluke of nature than anything. They were often prized for their infrequency alone, yet their pheromones were also exponentially more potent and alluring than their female counterparts. Steve, however, wasn’t tempted by this. He may not have been completely comfortable with having omegas paraded before him, but he did want a family one day, and a man, even one who was an omega, wouldn’t give him children of his own.

“No, I don’t want this,” Steve said firmly, but, before he could turn back the way he came, the young man surprised him again.

“Oh. Is that all it takes,” he noted sarcastically. He raised his chin and glared at the ceiling. “No. I don’t want this!” he repeated with a snarl, addressing those who maintained the facility and would be monitoring via the cameras in the room. He turned and viscously kicked his door with the point of his toe, more a demonstration of frustration than an actual attempt to kick the door down - although, the flat shoe prints by the door handle suggested that breaking through the door had already been attempted. 

Steve stilled in spite of himself. He felt uncomfortable with the system, with the prospect of essentially being set up on government approved blind-dates in the hopes that he would bond with an appropriate omega, but, as he had to remind himself, he supposed that he wouldn’t mind too much if he did eventually find someone he wanted to spend his life with. However, he’d never considered it from an omega’s point of view.

It seemed to him that the life ambition of most of the omegas he’d met was to bond with a powerful alpha and comfortably live happily ever after in domestic bliss. Peggy had been different. In those days, omegas had unofficially been required to bond at their first heat, or the soonest one after. Peggy had already made a name for herself in the right circles before Steve had met her and, as to not upset the status quo, she had been allowed to go into medically supervised isolation for her quarterly heats, though this dispensation wouldn’t have lasted forever. Steve had hoped that he might be granted an opportunity with her, both from Penny herself and the powers that be, but the ice had taken that possibility away.

In this new era, the option to take heats in isolation was freely available, with a surplus of institutions that facilitated this isolation available, and more and more omegas were choosing to pursue careers or study or travel or just life in general before looking to settle down. However, some omegas were still sectioned and required to bond for their own safety and the safety of others. Generally, those sectioned were omegas who were either irresponsible with their heats (being caught in the open on too many preventable occasions), had tried to use their heat to coerce a bonding, or those whose appeal risked their own safety as well as the safety of others regardless whether they were in heat or not (a category which all the few male omegas fell into). 

The young man before him obviously wasn’t interested in being bound to another. At least Steve was able to refuse a potential match, to drag out his time unbound as long as possible. Steve doubted this omega had that option.

“I’m sorry,” he said softly, but his sympathy was only met with a heated glare. “What’s your name?”

“Omega 20 12 7 NY13 6,” came the snide reply.

Steve blinked. The registration number consisted of the year and month the omega was registered, the ID of the facility he was registered at, and the next consecutive number of omegas registered at the same location in the same time frame. 

Steve smiled gently, hoping to put the other man at ease. “That’s a bit of a mouthful,” he teased lightly. “I’m just Steve.”

“And I’m not interested.” The young man turned back to the door that was keeping him trapped.

“Neither am I, but I’m not cruel.”

The other man raise his hand at the door, looking for a moment like he intended to bang his fist against it. After an abortive twitch, he sighed heavily, letting his arm sink until his palm pressed upon the door, leaning against it as though he needed the support to stay upright. “Harry.” His voice was soft, almost resigned. “I’m Harry.” He straightened and turned back to face Steve. “But I suppose they already told you that,” he added bitterly.

“No, it’s against policy for them to say anything,” Steve corrected lightly.

A smugly satisfied gleam appeared in the omega’s - in Harry’s - eyes. “Oh. Pity that.” He didn’t sound sorry at all.

Harry’s gaze returned to Steve, this time assessing rather than merely hostile. Steve tensed slightly as those eyes raked down his form, an automatic battle instinct.

“Soldier,” Harry suddenly announced. Steve raised his eyebrow. “But…” He tipped his head to one side. “Special ops?”

The other eyebrow joined its mate. “Something like that,” he agreed vaguely. It felt like a lifetime since he’d gone unrecognised. In his own time it had been the promotional and morale building theatre shows. Now it was Tony Stark’s ‘ _ Meet the Avengers _ ’ videos and line of action figures. He supposed it was refreshing to be seen as himself instead of being regarded with hero worship.

Harry merely nodded at the acknowledgment before looking away and pacing in the space available to him. The room they were in wasn’t small, but, with the solid glass partition between them, their individual space was limited.

Steve took the opportunity to study the younger man. He wasn’t meeting any of his preconceptions of what omegas were like. Even Peggy, who had a confidence and assertiveness about her that so many people - omegas or otherwise - lacked, still had that gentleness, that compassion, that soothing vibe that was typical of their kind, but Harry… he paced the room like a caged tiger. Had he not known better, Steve would have picked Harry as an alpha, despite his petite form. He didn’t walk like a soldier, but he did move like someone who knew how to fight, who was ready to react, who was aware of their surroundings despite feigning inattention - and this was the moment Steve realised his scrutiny had not gone unnoticed.

“You come from Britain?” Steve asked, trying to break the awkward and slightly hostile silence.

Harry snorted. “What impressive deduction skills. I’m winning.”

A grin teased at Steve’s lips. “I didn’t realise that this was a competition.”

“All of life is a competition,” Harry rebutted. “Survival of the fittest, it seems.” Somehow, the bitter way that Harry voiced the adage seemed to be a critique on far more than their verbal sparring, somehow encompassing the whole world and the dynamics of the secondary genders therein. 

“That’s a… lonely way to view the world,” Steve replied carefully.

“There’s always a bigger fish out there.”

“Fish swim in schools.”

“Sharks don’t.”

Steve grinned in amusement. “So you fancy yourself a shark?”

“Better than a  _ dog _ .”

Steve bristled, trying, unsuccessfully, not to take offence at the implication, especially as felt that Harry directed the majority of his resentment towards his own status rather than at Steve.

“I’m sorry that… that this is an issue for you, but you should be comfortable, confident, in who you are,” Steve said, trying to sound encouraging but feeling lost. How would one comfort an omega in an omega matching facility who was unhappy about being an omega? Not knowing didn’t mean Steve wouldn’t try though.

Harry tipped his head to the side, and he seemed to stew on the words he wanted to stay. After a moment, he opened his mouth and, with a lightness that wouldn’t melt butter, said, “Do you know what the  _ nice _ people who work here said? ‘ _ Don’t worry, love. We’ll find you a good, strong alpha to look after you, then you can go where you like _ .’” He broke off with a snarl and paced with powerful strides before the alpha. “I’ve basically been looking after myself since I could walk. I don’t need any of this condescending bullshit!”

Steve flinched slightly at the notion that Harry had had to look after himself from such a young age, but couldn’t help but think that Harry deserved to be looked after if that’s what his life had been like. He hoped it was just an exaggeration.

“They’re only trying to help, to protect you-”

“I can protect myself.”

“-and everyone else too,” Steve finished as though he hadn’t interrupted.

Harry paused, then turned and gave Steve his full attention. “What do you mean?” he asked slowly, his sharp eyes fixed on Steve’s. 

Steve took a moment to consider, to work out what Harry was asking. He’d been blasé about his own safety, but at the mention of the safety of others… Perhaps that omegan compassion was still present, only expressed differently from others. “If you remain unbonded, alphas will fight for you, even kill each other,” he explained slowly. “Survival of the fittest, remember?”

He watched as his words sunk in, and he repressed the urge to frown. Surely Harry had known this, the nature of alphas. It was such an intrinsic part of society, one that most children understood before beginning elementary school; Alphas fight to protect their family. For children this is most often witnessed in their parents love and care and devotion, but, as adolescents and into adulthood, it’s expressed as a possessive protectiveness of those they love, or more faintly towards those they are drawn to, as is the case with omegas. It made no sense that Harry was oblivious to such fundamental knowledge.

“Even bonded,” he continued, “male omegas are very…”  _ Alluring? Coveted? Desirous? _ “…tempting, so you may need a strong alpha to keep others under control.” 

At the mention of needing an alpha, Harry’s expression reverted to its earlier scowl. “I’m sure I can handle it,” he said, his voice clipped. He began pacing again, but this time his eyes were darker and less focused on his environment as he considered what he’d heard. “Is this… Is it because of the… oh, what was it called… the smell thing?”

Once again, Steve found himself frowning at the confusing lack of knowledge. Harry seemed so sharp and aware, able to simply study Steve and recognise him as a soldier, but he couldn’t remember the word ‘pheromones’ which is a part of everyone’s vocabulary from early teens and onward. “Yes,” he answered. He tipped his head slightly as he recognised Harry’s expression. It was the same one Tony sometimes wore when he was searching for the solution to a problem. “Did they give you any information here? Books to read?”

“Oh, plenty of pamphlets. ‘ _ What to Expect on Your First Heat _ ’.” Harry scoffed. “It sounds gross, by the way. I’ll pass.”

Steve snorted with amusement. “Have to agree with you there,” he admitted, earning himself a faint smile in response. 

Harry finally settled himself on the couch on his side - well, it was more that he allowed himself to gracelessly flop back onto the cushions, but Steve took it as a win that the younger man was allowing himself to relax somewhat. Steve quickly followed suit, feeling far more comfortable sitting than he had standing, even if he had stood at ease rather than at attention. 

The two sat in silence for a little while, each lost in their own little worlds. It was Steve’s curiosity that got the best of him first. “So where’s home?” he asked gently.

Harry sighed, a haunted shadow briefly crossing his eyes. “Gone,” he said eventually. “I’d thought that…” He shook his head. “Well, I guess I was wrong. Should have expected it really, considering.”

The words made no sense, but before Steve could ask to clarify what Harry meant, Harry spoke again. “How about you? I don’t really know America much, but…”

He considered how to answer, and decided that Harry’s way was probably best. “Mine’s gone too.” He wondered if Harry home was truly as lost to him as his own was. “Everyone’s…” Well, they weren’t all dead, he still had Peggy, but she was old and only remembered him on her good days. “It’s just me now.” That much was true, no matter who was still alive. “And everything’s…” His eyes glazed over as he turned them towards the wall, seeing the neon signs; the racy cars, so many more than there used to be; the clothes, fashion that made no sense to him, that lacked the modesty he’d grown up with; the phones, a whole world of knowledge kept in a pocket; the music; the noise; the smell; even just the way people spoke… “It’s not what I grew up with.”

It felt like a bit of a cop out, but Steve wasn’t ready to lose this taste of anonymity. As soon as he told the truth, if he said he’d been born over ninety years ago… well, he was enjoying not being seen as the heroic  _ Captain America _ , if only this once.

He looked back to Harry and found those assessing eyes on him once again. He didn’t see recognition, but he did see… understanding, like Harry could genuinely relate to Steve’s circumstances. But then Harry’s expression slipped back into a carefully controlled, if more friendly than earlier, smile, and the moment passed. 

“You’re really not interested?” Harry asked as though he was starting to believe this. Steve answered with a soft smile and a softer shake of his head. “Then why are you here?” Harry sounded confused, and suddenly much younger than he’d seemed thus far. He glance towards the far corner, where Steve spotted a teddy, probably one he’d infused with his scent, torn and discarded. Such a symbolic and yet juvenile statement.

“How old are you?” Steve didn’t mean to ask, the question just slipped out, but it had the consequence of Harry’s vulnerability being shuttered away once more.

“Does it matter?” Harry demanded, heat leaking back into his tone.

“Not really,” Steve placated, leaning back into his own couch in an attempt to seem less threatening. “I was just curious.”

An almost playful glint appeared in Harry’s eyes. “You know, you should never ask a lady her age.”

Steve chuckled. According to the laws of political correctness, it was offensive to equate ‘omega’ with ‘lady’, however, considering it was a male omega making the comment, Steve didn’t think it was that big a deal. 

“I’m still here because… I… I guess I thought you needed somebody, even just for a little while; someone not pushing you to be someone you don’t want to be,” he explained, going back to Harry’s earlier question.

Harry, in turn, looked absolutely shocked by the answer, as though he couldn’t conceive of others not trying to force him into the little boxes they’d decided for him. Steve felt a pang of sympathy, remembering his own experiences of being forced to fit other people’s moulds. Once again, he found himself wondering what kind of life the boy - he looked like he was still only a boy now - had lived. 

Steve glanced back at the broken bear, then glanced around his own half of the room in confusion. 

“What is it?”

Steve frowned as he double checked the cushions under him where he was sitting, but… no… he’d know if it was here…

“They didn’t give me a bear,” he answered distractedly. 

When he looked up, there was a grimace covering Harry’s features once more and, when he spoke, the bitterness coloured his voice. “Yeah, about that. Apparently I ‘ _ smell too appealing _ ’-” Harry used his fingers to put the quotation marks around the observation, the blatant exaggeration of his signing announcing just how he felt about that ‘complement’. “-and they didn’t want to ‘ _ influence _ ’-” More finger quotes. “-the results.”

Steve grinned tightly. He could understand that, both the reasoning and Harry’s disdain. “And so, your reaction was to vandalise my bear and throw it away?” he teased.

Harry flinched slightly, but hid it by grandly waving the comment aside with a flick of his hand. “I did it to the others too,” he deferred lightly. For a moment, he’d forgotten Harry had, or would have, other suitors. He didn’t like the reminder- because Harry didn’t want it, of course. “Your bear got off easily compared to the first.” The hint of steel under his words suggested there was a story there.

“What happened?” Amusement bled into Steve’s question.

“Oh, the guy was a creep,” Harry explained as if it was a non-issue. A smirk crept onto his face as he relived the memory. “I used the bear to demonstrate what I’d do to him, after he tried to win me over by describing what he’d do to me.” The smirk widened into a broad smile. “Stuffing  _ everywhere _ . And I doubt they got the scorch marks out of the carpet,” he concluded with relish, closing his eyes briefly to bathe in his victory.

Steve chuckled along with him, but tipped his head to one side at the end. “How did you manage light a fire?” he asked, deliberately keeping the mirth in his voice, but it made no difference.

The shutters came back down and the faked smile came back up. “Oh, boy scout, you know.”

Steve nodded and Harry quickly moved the conversation along. “He was out of here the fastest, well-” Harry glanced at a perfect patch of cream carpet. “-different room. They decided I needed a stronger door,” he added with false levity. Those piercing eyes locked back on Steve’s, but the initial hostility was noticeably absent. “You’ve lasted longest, but, I suppose, that’s because you wanted out first go too.”

Steve nodded again, smiled cordially, and, finally, shrugged with lazy dismissal. “I’m not completely comfortable with these places,” he admitted, glancing around the room and gesturing with one hand to encompass the entire facility around them. The flicker of expression on Harry’s face showed that he strongly agreed with the sentiment. “I don’t like to be forced to-” He broke off, because Harry had it worse. “But, it’s a requirement of my… work, due to… circumstances.”

“Some of the others were army too- well, one was navy…  _ military _ .” Harry shrugged. “Some of the girls here, they said soldiers were common, or,  _ prioritised _ , that they were…  _ strongly encouraged _ -” Harry spoke the words delicately. “-to seek… well, that it was good for their work,” he finished awkwardly.

“Yes, the authorities within the army and other related branches are firm believers in the sovereignty of statistics.” It was now Shield who reminded Steve to visit with prospective omegas whenever he grew too lax. He wished they wouldn’t.

Harry shrugged again, and neither of them mentioned that Steve could walk out whenever he was ready and Harry couldn’t. They would leave that pink elephant to its own devices for as long as possible. 

“How did you chase the others out?” Steve asked in an attempt to return to lighter topics.

“Oh, it varied. Some weren’t interested in such an irreverent omega-” It was perfectly clear what Harry’s opinion on that was. “-and for others, the facility stepped in, saying it was unhealthy for  _ poor little me  _ to get so upset.” Harry paused mid-scoff, his eyes flickering quickly with thought as something seemingly unpleasant occurred to him. “Oh, god,” he moaned, leaning forward and burying his face in his palms. “They’re going to be  _ hell _ after this, aren’t they.”

Steve privately agreed, but he knew agreeing wouldn’t comfort the young man.

“I just want… I want…” 

“To go home?” Steve suggested gently.

Harry released a long heavy breath and lifted his head from his hands. That hollow shadow darkened him once more. “No.” His voice was soft but resolute. “But I do want my family back.”

Steve’s thoughts turned to his own mother, the mother he had lost both a few years and a lifetime ago, and Bucky, his best friend, practically his brother… gone now. Steve nodded, unable to speak in that moment due to the thickness in his throat those memories brought.

“God.” Harry slumped back in his seat. “Sorry. That was a mood killer.” Steve silently agreed. After a moment Harry stood and began slowly pacing again. This time he was lacking the agitated edge he’d shown earlier.

Steve cleared his throat experimentally before attempting to speak, standing as he did so. “You know I’m not interested in-” He waved his hand vaguely. “-but do you want me to come back? Just to give you a break from, well, everyone else.”

Harry’s lips quirked slightly. “So long as you know that the feeling’s mutual, I’d be glad for the break from this insanity.”

Steve nodded, but his smile soon fell into something closer to sympathy. “I’m sorry that… for the way things are.”

Harry chuckled, but the sound was mirthless. “I’ve been in tighter jams before. I reckon I’ll luck my way out of this one too.”

Something told Steve that, if Harry found a way out, it wouldn’t be due to luck. “Well, good luck, then,” he said with a tease.

“Thanks, and you too, for… well, for whatever you need luck in,” Harry finished lamely.

Steve laughed good-naturedly and made his way out the door. He felt better than he had when he went in, glad that he wouldn’t have to pursue a potential relationship with a vapid admirer. He thought that he and Harry could be friends, and that was worth the visit. 

 

**Author's Note:**

> If you’ve come this far, I hope you haven’t done so in vain. I do have plans, some specific and others incredibly vague, and I hope to get at least some of them out. The intention is there, but my muse enjoys dragging me along and abandoning me the moment I commit (that cow!! *shakes fist*)
> 
> Also, I have tumbles! XD  
> ...but I don’t know how to link it...  
> But come search for me: caty-314  
> My tumbles (and yes, I know it’s actually ‘tumblr’) is pretty boring (read as: really boring!), but it would give you another platform to message me if I neglect to update...


End file.
